New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
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Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples:
2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;
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The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses;
3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
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All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them
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They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
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But all their works they do so as to be seen by men: for they make wide their phylacteries, and the edges of their robes,
6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,
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And the things desired by them are the first places at feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues,
7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
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And words of respect in the market-places, and to be named by men, Teacher.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.
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But you may not be named Teacher: for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.
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And give no man the name of father on earth: because one is your Father, who is in heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.
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And you may not be named guides: because one is your Guide, even Christ.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
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But let the greatest among you be your servant.
12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
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And whoever makes himself high will be made low, and whoever makes himself low will be made high.
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.
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But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back.
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15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
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A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.'
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A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible.
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?
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You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?
18 And you say, "Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.'
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And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible.
19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred
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You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy
20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;
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He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it.
21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it
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And he who takes an oath by the Temple, takes it by the Temple and by him whose house it is
22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
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And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
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A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone.
24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
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You blind guides, who take out a fly from your drink, but make no trouble over a camel.
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
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A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of violent behaviour and uncontrolled desire.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
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You blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become equally clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.
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A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.
28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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Even so you seem to men to be full of righteousness, but inside you are all false and full of wrongdoing.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
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A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say,
30 and you say, "If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
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If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
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So that you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who put the prophets to death.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.
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Make full, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?
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You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell?
34 Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
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For this reason, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them you will put to death and put on the cross, and to some of them you will give blows in your Synagogues, driving them from town to town;
35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
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So that on you may come all the blood of the upright on the earth, from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you put to death between the Temple and the altar.
36 Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation
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Truly I say to you, All these things will come on this generation
37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
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O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not!
38 See, your house is left to you, desolate.
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See, your house is made waste
39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' "
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For I say to you, You will not see me from this time till you say, A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.